Chicago ranked capital of sustainable design
NEW YORK (Reuters Life) - Chicago is the most architecturally impressive large U.S. city, according to a survey released on Friday that considered local opinion and expert design analysis.
New York City came in second and Boston ranked third, according to "America's Best Design for Cities," conducted by international design firm RMJM Hillier.
Eighty-seven percent of Chicago residents said their city's architecture was excellent or good, while only 63 percent of New Yorkers and 64 percent of Bostonians were so enthusiastic, according to the public opinion survey.
The survey called Chicago the "capital of sustainable design" and mentions the Sears Tower, its revitalized riverfront district, and the large number of "green" developments.
"We conducted this study to see which cities are the most forward-thinking in their planning and development strategies and to applaud those that are doing it right," said Peter Schubert, design director of RMJM Hillier.
The 10 cities -- which also included Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Philadelphia and Washington -- were chosen based on the number of green buildings, mass transit systems, design awards and the number of buildings on the National Historic Register, among other factors.
The firm then commissioned the public opinion survey.
Finally, members of the American Institute of Architects from each city submitted critiques their city's architecture.
The telephone survey was conducted by Zogby International among a random sample of 1,024 adults living in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Portland, Washington, Boston, Denver were interviewed.
(Reporting by Edith Honan; editing by Patricia Reaney)
